


baby waste your time with me in california

by with_speckles



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, side krashlyn, side preath
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-12 05:55:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20559338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/with_speckles/pseuds/with_speckles
Summary: Coachella, Alex Morgan decides, is definitely not all it’s cracked up to be.-aka the alex and kelley meet at coachella ausuper loosely based on "la la land" by bryce vine





	1. the importance of history

Coachella, Alex Morgan decides, is definitely not all it’s cracked up to be. 

Alex never thought of herself as the Coachella type. She’s been in California her entire life, and she never had any desire to attend. But when her best friends brought up going to the festival as a celebration for their senior year of college, and college as a whole, coming to a close, Alex couldn’t say no. 

It’s densely crowded with thousands of people sweating in the California heat. The music is good, sure, but it’s a music festival, so the sets are limited and the production value is nothing to write home about. Even more, for every well-known artist that Alex is excited for, there have to be a dozen smaller ones that she’s never heard of before. 

Alex decides to keep a list in her phone of all the things about Coachella that she thinks future attendees should be aware of. She titles it “NO-chella,” wondering how her comedy genius goes unnoticed so often. The list looks something like: 

  * _my body is in PAIN this is too much standing and walking and dancing_
  * _has anyone seen my voice?? because it’s gone and i dont know where it went _
  * _i cant hear my friends _
  * _i cant find my friends_
  * _i now HATE my friends because they made me come to this_
  * _im so tired im pretty sure i cant feel feelings anymore _
  * _ur basically paying to stand in a bunch of lines over 3 days _
  * _how did a coffee just cost me $9???? hello??? _
  * _we’re literally in the open air and i can’t breathe _

So yeah, Coachella is quite a scene, that’s for sure. 

  
The only upside is that she looks insanely good right now. She’s wearing a cute pink miniskirt and a black bralette with a white lace cover up, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail with meticulous whips framing her face. She looks _ damn _good, and she doesn’t want to be one of those people who comes to Coachella just for the cute pictures, but she’d rather get something out of it than nothing.

It’s Saturday, the second day of the festival, and Alex is waiting in line for beer at one of the various outdoor bars. She lost her friends in the crowd, and figured now was as good a time as any to start drinking. 45 minutes later, she’s graciously thanking the bartender, who looks to be the physical embodiment of exhaustion and anxiety, for an insanely expensive beer. 

It doesn’t matter where you are at Coachella, the crowds are insane. Alex trudges her way through dense clumps of screaming people, holding her beer high above her head, before she makes it to semi-open space. The relief barely lasts though, because not ten seconds later, a girl bumps into her side and knocks the beer out of her hand and to the ground. 

“Son of a _ bitch_!” Alex exclaims. 

She whips her head to the right, fully prepared to absolutely rip into this girl for being so clumsy. She doesn’t get the chance though, because this girl is quickly begging for forgiveness. 

“Oh my god, I am so fucking sorry, dude! Someone bumped into me, so then I bumped into you! I’m so, _ so _ sorry,” the girl explains as she puts a comforting hand on Alex's arm. 

“Don’t even worry about it,” Alex says, trying to keep her anger at bay. She gets that mistakes happen, all the craziness of this festival means that something like this was bound to happen. Still, she can’t help but feel pissed - she’s now down fifteen bucks and she wasted an hour on that line, all for a beer she doesn’t get to drink. 

“No, I’m worried about it. Can I get you a new one? Please?”

Alex takes a moment to look at the girl in front of her. She’s wearing high waisted jean shorts and a white crop top. 

(Her abs are insane, that much Alex can tell from the second she spent staring before tearing her eyes away.)

Her hair falls loosely curled over her shoulders with a cute green headband, her hazel eyes popping against a freckled face that sparkles with glitter. She’s beautiful, Alex thinks, and her pleading smile and puppy-dog eyes are enough for Alex to forgive her right then and there. 

“Seriously, it’s no big deal,” Alex promises, chuckling to emphasize her point that she isn’t upset. 

“Well at least let me pay you for it! I know how expensive they are.” 

“You’re sweet, but I promise you, it’s totally fine.” 

The girl’s shoulders slump a bit in disappointment. “Well, I was just about to get in line to get one for myself, I could grab you one and bring it to you somewhere so you don’t have to wait in line.” 

Alex considers it. This girl is being _ insanely _ nice, almost too nice. Alex figures most people would’ve thrown a half-hearted apology over their shoulders before moving on, but not -

“What’s your name?” Alex asks.

“I’m Kelley,” she extends a hand and Alex shakes it awkwardly. Alex takes a second to ponder her options before she says, “you know what, I’m not really in the mood to find my friends in that crowd anyway. Buy me a beer.”

Kelley beams, ignoring any potential awkwardness as she keeps Alex’s hand in her own and leads her through the crowd. 

Alex ignores how nice it feels, her hand waffled with Kelley’s, as they navigate their way to the beer stand. 

“Wait, I didn’t catch your name,” Kelley realizes with a giggle when they get in the back of the line. 

“I’m Alex,” she says, dropping Kelley’s hand to shake her other one.

Kelley laughs at the gesture (Alex thinks it’s a nice sound). “Hi Alex, you look really beautiful.”

“Oh, thank you,” Alex blushes, “so do you.” 

Kelley smiles, dropping Alex’s hand. “So, you said you came here with friends?” 

Alex nods. “Yeah, a group of us rented an Airbnb like twenty minutes from here.”

“Nice, that sounds awesome! Where are you from?” Kelley asks. She expresses intense interest when she’s listening to Alex, nodding her head along and maintaining eye contact. It’s refreshing, talking to someone who’s genuinely concerned with listening rather than waiting to get a word in. 

“California. I grew up outside of LA, and I’m about to finish my senior year at UC Berkeley.”

Kelley’s eyes go wide. “No shit, you go to Cal?” 

“Yeah…” Alex says with a hesitant smile. 

“Damnit, here I was thinking we could be friends!” 

“What’s your problem with Cal?” Alex bellows as she puts her hand over her heart.

“I’m a senior at Stanford!” 

“No fucking way,” Alex gasps. “So, you’re trying to tell me that you _ didn’t _ bump into me on purpose?” 

Kelley laughs, the uninhibited kind where she throws her head back. “I didn’t, I swear! Although, your soccer team is constantly giving mine hell, so maybe I should’ve.” 

Alex blinks a few times. “Wait a minute, do you play on Stanford’s soccer team?” 

“Yeah baby!” 

“So do I! I mean, not on Stanford’s team, but I play on mine.” 

Kelley leans forward dramatically. “You’re on Cal’s soccer team?” 

“Yes! Alex Morgan, forward, number thirteen!” 

“Holy shit! You were the one who scored the equalizer against us in the NCAA tournament in like, the absolute last second.” Kelley is now holding both of Alex’s hands in excitement, bouncing up and down slightly. She’s endearing and charming and Alex can’t get enough, laughing along to the girl’s awe at the situation. 

“Guilty,” Alex shrugs, flipping her hair teasingly.

“Wow, yeah, that shit was crazy. 

Alex shrugs but wears a confident smirk. “I mean, yeah, that was pretty sick.”

“Mm, sucks you guys couldn’t clench it though.” 

“Careful now,” Alex narrows her eyes. 

Kelley tries to stifle a smile. “No, I mean, if only that forward didn’t score the winning goal during the shoot-out. What was her name again? Kelley O’Hara, forward, number five?” 

“Oh my _ god, _ I hate you!” Alex trumpets, but neither of them stop laughing as Alex drops Kelley’s hands to shove her shoulders playfully. 

“I’m sorry!” Kelley wraps her arms around Alex’s waist, resting her forehead on her shoulder. Alex can’t remember the last time she met someone with so little regard to personal space. She wonders if Kelley is already a little drunk, or if she just doesn’t really care about boundaries. 

What she wonders even more is why she feels so comfortable having the smaller girl wrapping herself around Alex, how nice it feels to rest her chin on Kelley’s shoulder and giggle against her head.

“Don’t apologize,” Alex consoles, patting Kelley’s upper back. “Never apologize for winning. I wouldn’t.” 

Kelley pulls away and smiles. “In that case, I’m not sorry.”

“So,” Alex continues as they move up in line, “where are you from?” 

“Peachtree City, in Georgia.”

“Oh, Southern Belle!” 

Kelley laughs, and Alex notices that when she laughs, Kelley’s eyes crinkle in the corners. Alex thinks it’s insanely cute.

“I love the south, but I can’t get enough of California.” 

“Do know do you want to do once you graduate?” Alex asks, genuinely curious. She cringes internally, knowing from personal experience how obnoxious that question can be. Still, Alex figures they have plenty of time to get to know each other while waiting in line, never-mind that she is sincerely interested in getting to know Kelley. 

“I had an internship at an environmental consulting company this semester, which I really enjoyed, but I think I want to be more behind the scenes, you know? Like, I want to actually be making the really big discoveries that can save the planet,” Kelley explains. 

Alex listens with rapt attention as Kelley explains. “I just love the earth, you know?” Kelley laughs, almost nervous to be so passionate about the planet. “I want to protect the ocean and the forests and the animals living here, and I think I have some ideas that might make a difference.” 

“That’s incredible. Seriously, I feel like I’ve never met someone so passionate about something so… important,” Alex says, and she means it. 

Kelley blushes and ducks her head. “I applied to a bunch of different places, so now it’s just kind of a waiting game with crossed fingers.” 

“I’ll cross my fingers for you too, even if you are a Stanford girl.”

Kelley rolls her eyes but laughs. “I appreciate it. What about you, do you know what you want to do?” 

“I want to be a teacher. I’d love to be a history teacher, preferably high school, and I want to get my coaching certification so I can be a soccer coach.” 

“Okay, you’re one to talk about _ me _being passionate about something important,” Kelley teases and Alex rolls her eyes.

“I’m serious,” Kelley presses, “working with kids and teenagers is, like, one of the most important jobs and probably the least recognized. You get to change lives.” 

“That’s exactly it,” Alex sighs, relieved to finally meet someone who _ gets _ it. Most people don’t really understand her desire to teach, to mold young minds and help them grow to love learning. “I love soccer, I really do. Like, most days I think I love it more than anything in the world. But teaching has been on my mind for so long. I feel lucky to have gotten where I am, and most of it is thanks to certain teachers and coaches and mentors. I want to be that for someone.” 

“I think that’s beautiful. And it’s noble, dedicating your life to helping high schoolers. Although, I don’t know how much I’d learn if my teacher was as pretty as you.”

Alex’s face goes beet-red, and Kelley smiles. “Why history?” Kelley asks, allowing Alex to dodge her embarrassment. 

Alex breathes out a laugh. “It gets such a bad rap. In school, it’s made to be about memorizing timelines, but it’s more important to know _ why _ things happened the way they did.” 

Kelley nods along, her face reacting in ways that make Alex think she might be introducing a new way of appreciating history to Kelley. Alex continues, “history is about people, human beings, and how we’ve existed in this world - and how that’s going to affect our futures. History should be taught in a way that emphasizes the ‘why’s’ of the world.” 

Kelley puffs air into her cheeks and exhales slowly. “Damn, is it too late to change my major?” 

Alex laughs, but Kelley keeps going. “I’m serious! You just made history sound like the most interesting thing in the world. I can’t even imagine how awesome it would be to have you as a teacher.” 

A blush creeps on Alex’s face. This girl is definitely a sweet talker, but she seems so sincere and genuine. Alex is starting to think that Kelley bumping into her wasn’t the worst thing in the world. 

They move up in the line and continue to chat. They talk about the TV shows they like to watch, their favorite movies, what their families are like. Alex learns that Kelley loves to surf and read self-help books, and Kelley learns that Alex is a vegan and loves 2000s Hip/Hop. They bond over a love for the beach and Taylor Swift. They laugh about how Kelley’s brother and Alex’s sister are both named “Jerry/Jeri.” 

By the time they get to the front of the line, Alex feels like she’s made a new best friend. Kelley is funny and sweet and understanding. She’s outgoing and a flirt, evident from the way she chats with the people around them in line and charms the bartender into giving them a deal on the beers. 

“Here you are, mademoiselle,” Kelley says as she offers Alex the beer. “Try not to drop it this time, okay?” 

Alex’s jaw drops but it turns into a smile. “Yeah, okay, as long as you try not to smack it out of my hand.” 

“Oh my gosh, _ so _dramatic. Let’s get the facts straight, because I refuse to let you tell our future children your version of the story.”

Alex isn’t sure what it is, because a lot of people compliment her and a lot of people flirt with her (not that she would brag), but something about Kelley gets her tongue-tied and she has no idea how to react. 

“You’re ridiculous,” is all Alex can get out. Kelley smirks, and is about to say something before her phone rings. She fishes into her pocket to grab it. “Sorry, one sec,” Kelley offers as she answers. 

“Christen, what’s up?” Kelley asks into the phone. Alex takes the time to look at her phone to see if her friends texted her. There are some messages in their group chat, calling out locations and asking where people are. Alex can’t bring herself to care at the moment, subtly listening to Kelley tell her friend on the phone about grabbing a beer. 

“And I made a new friend,” Kelley says smugly into the phone. The person on the other line must say something funny because Kelley laughs with squinty eyes. “Okay, I’ll come meet you there, bye,” Kelley says as she hangs up. 

Alex’s heart drops a little bit. She _ really _ doesn’t want to say goodbye to Kelley just yet. She feels like she’s having fun for the first time all weekend, with someone who actually makes her feel good. 

“My friend Christen wants me to meet up with her and my other friends at some pop-up taco stand,” Kelley reports with an affectionate eye roll. 

“Cool, cool.”

“Would you wanna, like… come with me?” Kelley falters a little. “I mean, I’m sure your friends are looking for you, but… I don’t really care because I wanna keep hanging out with you.” 

Alex’s smile reaches her eyes before she clears her throat, doing her best to seem indifferent. “Uh, yeah, you know, I think my friends will be okay without me for a little longer,” Alex muses, trying (and failing) to suppress a knowing smile. 

Kelley giggles (an adorable sound) and holds her phone out to Alex. “Put your number in, because if I lose you in this crowd and never find you again, I’ll spend weeks talking about it with my therapist.” 

Alex howls out a laugh as she enters her phone number into Kelley’s contacts, shaking her head in disbelief. She’s not sure how she ended up in this position, suddenly enjoying Coachella because of a confusing attraction to a Stanford girl, but Alex chooses to ignore it. 

“I’ll text you so you have my number,” Kelley says when Alex hands her phone back.

Alex’s phone dings with a text from Kelley. 

_ ur gorgeous _

“Ugh, you have to stop with that!” Alex bursts, cover her face with the her forearm.

Kelley grabs her arm and pulls it away from her face with a chuckle. “Stop what? I haven’t even started yet,” she shrugs, starting to walk towards her friends. 

“That makes me nervous, you have no idea.” 


	2. waste this night away with me

Alex lets Kelley lead her through the crowds as they make more small talk, which inevitably leads to discussing whether or not aliens exist. 

(“I know they probably aren’t, but how cute would it be if they  _ were _ little green guys with big eyeballs?”

“That’s absurd, Kelley… But yeah, that would be adorable.”) 

Kelley is insanely easy to talk to. She asks questions without being interrogative and starts conversations without being abrasive. She’s crosses the line from acquaintance to friend seamlessly, and she’s great at making people feel comfortable. 

Alex doesn’t find herself feeling awkward or uncomfortable at all, which happens so often when she meets people for the first time. Kelley doesn’t give her a chance to not be smiling and laughing and engaged in conversation.

Alex realizes pretty quickly that this Kelley O’Hara girl is one of a kind. 

It doesn’t take long for Kelley to spot her friends, pointing them out to Alex. They’re chatting in a small clump, but one of them notices Kelley and jogs up to her and Alex.

“There you are!” the girl exclaims as she wraps her arms around Kelley’s neck. She’s gorgeous, with big green eyes and long dark hair. “You had me worried,” she says as she pulls away from Kelley. Alex tries to ignore the jealousy, but chastises herself because there’s no reason to feel it. 

Alex is drawn back to the interaction when Kelley’s friend acknowledges her, beaming, “you must be the new friend!” 

Kelley puts her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Christen, this is Alex. Alex, this is Christen, my ex-girlfriend.” 

Christen rolls her eyes dramatically. “Oh my god, ignore her,” Christen says to Alex as she gives her a side hug that should be awkward, but Alex finds it soft and strangely comfortable. “We dated for, like, a week in 8th grade,” Christen explains. “She loves making me mad with the ‘ex-girlfriend’ bullshit.” 

“Feelings are still a little raw,” Kelley whispers to Alex, just loud enough for Christen hear. 

“Kelley, I swear,” Christen swats at Kelley’s arm.

Kelley giggles as she goes to greet her other friends, expecting Alex to follow her, but Christen holds her up. Alex has a lot of feelings about this interaction, but she doesn’t have any time to process them as Christen asks, “did you guys just meet in line for beer?” 

“Not quite,” Alex answers with a smile. “She knocked my beer out of my hand after I had just bought it and basically begged me to let her buy me a new one.” 

Christen hums. “Did she use those damn puppy dog eyes?” 

“Yes,” Alex giggles. 

“Alex,” Kelley calls, “come meet everyone else.” 

Christen helps to usher Alex over, saying, “sorry, my fault for hogging her!” 

Kelley introduces Alex to Lindsey, a cute girl with a cuter laugh, Emily, an energetic goofball who is usually called by her last name “Sonnet,” and Ashlyn and Ali, who are a badass power couple. They’re all at Stanford too, all on the soccer team, and all equally as mind-blown that Kelley bumped into the Cal girl who scored the equalizer (though Kelley is starting to argue that  _ Alex _ is the one who bumped into  _ her _ , which Alex refuses to allow). 

They seem just as interested in pursuing a friendship with Alex as Kelley was. They’re all outgoing and inclusive and funny. 

Right off the bat, Alex is coming to find that Kelley and her friends are pretty similar. It doesn’t shock Alex that Kelley attracts these types of people, people who can poke fun at one another and make jokes at each other’s expenses, while being blatant about their platonic love for each other. 

Kelley and Sonnet are in the middle of doing some ridiculous dance move, making Lindsey’s eyes squint shut with laughter, Ali almost choke on her food, and Christen roll her eyes, when Alex’s phone dings. It’s from a group chat with two of her best friends, Allie and Tobin.

_ Drop your location, we’re looking for you _ , Tobin texts. Alex doesn’t hesitate to send it, adding,  _ i made some new friends _ to her message. 

Allie sends back the eye-rolling emoji followed by  _ of course you did _ and Tobin says they’re on their way. 

Alex wants to see the two of them, but she isn’t sure she wants this bubble to be popped. She likes Kelley and likes her friends, and she isn’t looking to part ways with them just yet. 

“Wait, guys, Bazzi goes on in, like, ten minutes,” Ashlyn announces. “I’m not missing this, so you’re either coming or not.” 

As the girls start to get themselves together to walk over, Alex feels a hand on her arm and looks up from her phone to see Kelley. “We’re gonna head over to Bazzi’s stage, you’re coming, right?” 

Alex grimaces slightly. “Some of my friends are looking for me, so I should probably stay put.” Kelley’s face falls and Alex wonders if Kelley is having as much fun as her, if Kelley is also bizarrely obsessed with this new friendship. 

“I’d love to meet up with you guys once I find them, though,” Alex finishes hopefully. 

Kelley nods. “Why don’t I wait with you?”

“You don’t have to, I’ll be fine,” Alex says with a smile.

“Mm, last time you were alone out here, you dropped a beer all over the place.” 

“I swear, if you start telling people the story that way -” Alex starts swatting at Kelley, but they’re interrupted. 

“You guys coming?” Ali asks as Kelley’s friends get ready to go. 

“We’re gonna wait here for Alex’s friends, so we’ll meet up with you.” Alex ducks her head to hide her smile, because Kelley is making the choice on her own to stay with Alex. 

  
  


Christen makes Kelley and Alex to promise to come find them once Alex’s friends get there. Alex watches as Kelley and Christen pinky promise, Christen pulling Kelley in by their locked pinkies and whispering something in her ear. Kelley blushes and shoves Christen away gently, who grins the whole time. She offers a big smile and a wave to Alex before following the rest of Kelley’s friends to Bazzi’s stage. 

It all makes Alex wonder if Kelley and Christen are only friends. 

So she asks. 

“So, ex-girlfriends, huh?” 

Kelley giggles. “Yup, like, a few days in middle school. We  _ almost _ kissed once, it was pretty romantic.” 

“Oh, I bet.” 

“Christen hasn’t had any really serious relationships since. I think I ruined everyone else for her.”

“Obviously, ‘cause you two were so serious,” Alex says with a chuckle as Kelley rolls her eyes affectionately. 

“In all seriousness,” Kelley continues, “she’s my best friend, she has been forever. I’m super grateful for her.”

“She’s a total sweetie, I can see why you guys are so close.” Alex pauses. “So, have  _ you _ had any serious relationships since?” she asks and bites her lip. 

Kelley suddenly gets shy, ducking her head. “I was dating someone for a while but we broke up last summer. We both wanted different things, so it was for the best. Plus - um - she was kinda an asshole.” 

Alex laughs, loudly and uninhibited, partly because Kelley is funny but mostly because Kelley said “she.”

Alex hasn’t been into girls for that long. Rather, she hasn’t  _ known _ that she’s into girls for that long. The whole attraction to girls and guys thing is proving just as difficult to navigate as she figured it might be. There are so many feelings to keep track of.

  
She’s been struggling to separate her “I love you as a friend” feelings from her “I’m into you in a gay way” feelings. She meets Kelley and suddenly it becomes clear: you can have both. 

“What about you?” Kelley asks, still a bit shy. “Are you, um, with - like, what’s your, uh… so, what’s up?” 

Alex throws her head back laughing, which she’s noticing she does a lot when she’s around Kelley. “Wow, you’ve been so smooth all day! What happened?” 

“Okay, you know what, forget it,” Kelley huffs with a smile, swatting her hand at Alex. 

Alex grabs the hand, her laugh getting caught in her throat when the nerves set in. She tugs Kelley forward a bit and intertwines their fingers. “I’m single,” Alex says and Kelley’s eyes are on hers intensely. 

Kelley doesn’t say anything, just smiles widely and glances at their hands. 

“Kelley, do you want -” 

“Alex!” 

Alex and Kelley turn their heads to the two girls heading towards them, calling Alex’s name. Kelley drops Alex’s hand to scratch the back of her neck awkwardly, but Alex hardly notices as she greets her friends.

“Hey, there you guys are,” Alex exclaims, giving Tobin and Allie a hug. “Kelley, this is Allie and Tobin. Guys, this is Kelley.” 

“Is this the new friend?” Allie asks.

“That’s me,” Kelley says with a smirk. “It’s crazy, Alex bumped into me and knocked my beer on the ground, and -”

“Wow, I’m gonna kill you.” 

Tobin and Allie exchange glances as they watch Alex bump Kelley’s hip with her own, their hands finding each other’s for no real reason. 

“Are you guys on the Cal soccer team also?” Kelley asks, giving her attention back to Allie and Tobin. 

“Yeah,” Tobin beams, “do you play?” 

Kelley grins. “Mhm, I’m a forward.”

“What school are you at?” Tobin presses, taking a sip of her drink. 

“I’m at Stanford.” 

“Oh, fuck you!” Allie howls as Tobin near-screams “you gotta be kidding me!” 

Kelley hides behind Alex and laughs as Tobin and Allie continue. “Alex, you made friends with a Stanford girl?” Allie chides, but she’s smiling. 

“Not just a Stanford girl, a Stanford  _ forward _ ?” Tobin is shocked. 

“Mhm, now might be a bad time to tell you that she’s the one who scored the winning goal in the shoot-out,” Alex adds sheepishly. 

People glance over as Tobin and Allie  _ yell _ . Neither Alex nor Kelley register what they’re saying as Kelley ducks further behind Alex, leaning her forehead in between the taller girl’s shoulder blades and laughing against her back. Alex is acutely aware of Kelley’s hands on her hips as she calms the other girls down. 

“Is it safe to come out?” Kelley whispers against the shell of Alex’s ear and Alex shivers. “Yes I promise, they’re going to behave themselves,” Alex finishes with a glare to her best friends that says  _ don’t scare her away  _ and  _ don’t screw this up for me _ and  _ I’m into this girl so help make me look good _ . 

Allie seems to understand, nodding with squinted eyes and a knowing smile. 

Tobin, oblivious as ever, bombards Kelley with more soccer questions as she emerges from her hiding spot from behind Alex. Alex watches as Kelley smooths over any potential awkwardness, making Tobin laugh in a way that Alex doesn’t see often.

Tobin and Allie agree to go to Bazzi’s stage to meet up with Kelley’s friends, Tobin immediately sidling up to Kelley to keep talking with her about soccer as they walk over.

Alex and Allie trail behind, watching as Tobin and Kelley continue to get along almost too well.

Allie catches Alex smiling after them and calls her on it. “Quit eye-fucking the new friend,” Allie teases. 

Alex grabs Allie’s arm and shakes it violently because she  _ finally _ has someone to talk about this with. It’s barely been three hours with Kelley and Alex is already certain that she wants a lifetime. “I totally understand why everyone jokes about how quickly lesbians fall in love,” Alex hisses. 

Allie giggles, “you’re so new to this liking girls thing, of course you were bound to fall too far too fast.” 

“I don’t know what it is though,” Alex muses aloud. “I like her a lot and I really can’t wait to keep getting to know her but…” 

“But, you’re tryna fuck.”

“Wow, so poetic.” 

“No, I get it dude, she’s hot. And this is the first girl you’ve been legit into since you figured out the whole sexuality thing. It’s exciting!”

Alex shrugs bashfully but she can’t tame the smile on her face. It  _ is  _ exciting, Kelley is exciting and liking her is exciting. 

“You should totally bang her in a port-o-potty.” 

“Wow,” Alex cringes, shoving Allie’s shoulder playfully, “you’re fucking gross.” 

Allie laughs and puts her arm around Alex’s shoulder, pulling her in and resting their heads together. Allie was the first person Alex told about her struggles with her sexuality. Allie had made a point to make sure Alex felt comfortable figuring out who she is and constantly reminded her that her sexuality neither defined her nor changed her or how much everyone loved her. 

Alex doesn’t know if she would have come to terms with anything if Allie hadn’t helped her get there. 

As they approach Bazzie’s stage, Tobin turns back to Alex and Allie and says, “she’s officially replaced you both as my best friend.” 

“So rude!” Allie exclaims. 

“I get it,” Alex quips. 

“So,” Kelley says, “my friends said they’re hovering outside the crowd. They said there towards the right if you’re facing the stage!” 

Without thinking (or maybe with thinking), Alex impulsively (willfully) grabs Kelley’s hand. “Lead the way,” Alex almost has to scream over the noise of the crowd. 

Alex’s hand firm in her own, Kelley leads them to look for her friends. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex can see Allie hold Tobin back a bit from going next to Kelley, whispering something in her ear. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Bazzi song before,” Alex muses to Kelley, her breath tickling her ear. 

“I bet you’ll recognize a few!” Kelley tells her, goosebumps evident on her arms. 

Their locked hands swing gently in between them, and Alex can’t help but smile as she catches Kelley’s soft smile out of the corner of her eye. 

Alex spots Kelley’s friends first, pointing them out with her free hand and ushering Allie and Tobin to follow. 

“Hey, you found us!” Christen trills, “and Alex’s friends found you.” 

Alex introduces Tobin and Allie to Kelley’s friends, immediately relieved at how comfortable the girls are making her friends. When they’re all done screaming at one another for being on opposing soccer teams, they laugh and get to know each other in the lulls of the performance. 

What takes Alex a bit by surprise is how quickly Tobin takes to Christen. She waddles over to Christen with endearing shyness that Alex knows will disappear once Tobin feels comfortable, but Tobin’s timid behavior is a tell-tale sign to Alex that she’s nervous. Alex can’t remember the last time she’s seen Tobin with such a consistent smile on her face. 

Alex looks to see Allie with the other girls, holding their phone flashlights in the air and laughing. 

Alex feels like she can  _ breath _ . 

“You know,” she says to Kelley, still very aware of her hand in her own, “I really like making new friends, but I think I like it more when my friends  _ also _ become friends with those new friends.” Alex furrows her brow by the end, almost confusing herself by her syntax. 

“Yeah, I get that,” Kelley empathizes. “It shows how much you care about their feelings. It’s sweet.” 

“I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen Tobin cheese like this before,” Alex whispers as they both glance over to where Tobin has just made Christen laugh. 

“Oh my god, I’m  _ so _ glad you said something because I was just thinking the same thing about Christen.” 

“Really?” Alex isn’t shocked but she obviously doesn’t know Christen well enough to tell if she’s reciprocating. 

“For sure. Look, see how she keeps swaying side to side?” Kelley points out as they both try not to seem obvious about looking. 

“Yeah,” Alex says and turns back to the stage. 

“That means she’s nervous. Plus, she keeps putting her hand on her shoulder. Classic Christen flirting move,” Kelley muses. 

“We’re officially matchmakers,” Alex teases, subtly pulling herself into Kelley’s side. Alex doesn’t usually like casual physical touch, but she’s sure she never wants to let go of Kelley’s hand. 

The distinguishing first few notes of Bazzi’s song “Mine” starts and Alex shouts, “wait! I do know this song!”

Kelley laughs. “See? I told you you’d recognize one!” 

“Mm, I believe you said ‘a few,’ so we’ll see.” 

Kelley ignores her with a grin, moving her face close and singing along, “ _ you so fuckin' precious when you smile _ .” 

“Oh my god,” Alex mutters, turning her head to hide a blush. Kelley is serenading her with a song about sex, it’s cheesy and nerdy and  _ hot _ and Alex has to pull her hand away. 

It doesn’t last though, because Bazzi is singing “ _ hands on your body, I don’t wanna waste no time _ ” and Alex  _ doesn’t _ want to waste any time, so she’s taking Kelley’s arms and wrapping them around her own waist. 

Though she has a stretch a bit, Kelley rests her chin on Alex’s shoulder and continues to sing into her ear, sending goosebumps all over her body. 

They’re leaning into each other and swaying and Alex is listening as Bazzi sings.

_ Swear to God, I'm down if you're down all you gotta say is right _

Alex is definitely down. 

_ Feels like forever even if forever's tonight _

_ Just lay with me, waste this night away with me _

_ You're mine, I can't look away, I just gotta say _

Alex likes the idea of wasting her time with Kelley. 

  
Alex figures there are a  _ lot _ of worse things in the world than Kelley O’Hara calling her “mine.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh we gettin there  
https://with-speckles.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me at https://with-speckles.tumblr.com/ :)


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